teenagers die violently at 20
it's like watching a car crash on TV
with the sound turned off
their heads hit the pavement
blood and thoughts spread everywhere.
your vocal chords lose strength at 20
your voice become lower and softer.
your knees stop getting scraped at 20
and now they hurt from the inside
your skin clears but your back aches
and sleeps comes easier but hardly ever leaves
your heartbeat slows down at 20
and it never ever speeds up again.
a fire burning deep inside you dies at 20
black clouds creep in and the rain smothers it to death
water seeps into the ground and buries the ashes and eventually
flowers bloom and trees grow roots
and your soul finds a quiet corner to settle in.
life stops at 20
we lose hunger and blood thirst and courage and alcohol tolerance and friendships and the shape of our hips and the strength of our spirits and the ability for senseless romance
but we find peace
and wine and gardening and understanding of our mothers and baking and quiet love and vitamin-filled sunbeams.
life stops at 20
and then it starts again